Results tagged “arnoldschwarzenegger”

He can't run for Governor again, and his Austrian birth means the Presidency is out of the question, but Arnold Schwarzenegger told reporters in Europe yesterday that he won't be vying for votes once his term is up in 2010, according to an Associated Press report. While traveling in Milan, the actor-turned-Governator said "I have never labeled myself as a politician, so I am not going to run for anything else."

Her husband may have signed the no driving while holding a cell phone law, but the message apparently hasn't hit home for California's First Lady Maria Shriver.

Yesterday, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed two bills into law, both of which focus on restricting operation of a motor vehicle to previous DUI offenders, reports the Daily News. Assemblyman Mike Feur (D-Los Angeles) has authored AB 91, calling for the implementation of a pilot program in four counties that will put an ignition interlock device in "every vehicle owned or operated by a first-time DUI offender."

       

Fire Capt. Tedmund Hall and Firefighter Specialist Arnaldo Quinones, the two Los Angeles County firefighters who lost their lives battling the Station Fire, were honored today in a public memorial held at Dodger Stadium. The men were remembered for, among other things, “served with dedication, courage and, during their last alarm, with absolute bravery and selflessness,” said Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief John Tripp, according to LA Now.

Among the many mourners for Senator Edward Kennedy, who died last night at the age of 77 following a battle with brain cancer, includes members of his extended family like his niece, Maria Shriver, and her husband, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. California's first family issued a statement late last night, noting that they are "immensely saddened" by the loss of Maria's "Uncle Teddy," and that Kennedy "was the rock of our family," according to cbs2.com.

Although no strike is reportedly on the immediate horizon, the Service Employees International Union "announced that 74 percent of its membership approved [a] strike authorization in votes counted Saturday," according to abc7.com, and "union leaders will meet in the coming week to decide what steps to take."

Look to the skies! The flying saucers will always be there! Not even your local cinematheque is safe when evil extraterrestrials & suave spacemen invade Santa Monica. Should our valiant heroes survive these "Far Out" encounters, they must still contend with a Martian militia, led by none other than our governor himself! I heard it through my magick Tesla Coil!

California Governor-hopeful and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is part of a trailblazing trend: Politicians and social media. Along with current Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Golden State politicos are part of what is re-shaping the face of campaigns, according to an Associated Press report:

Online social networks are rapidly making traditional political advertisements obsolete, said veteran political strategist Joe Trippi, who used Internet fundraising to propel Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign. The social networks are giving elected leaders like [Newark, NJ Mayor Cory] Booker and Newsom a new way to satiate the public’s hunger for transparency. “These are the first politicians to build considerable followings on Twitter, and they’re doing it by taking the filter out and showing people who they really are,” Trippi said of Booker and Newsom. “Twitter and these other social networks and new media demand authenticity. This is the future.”

Senator Dianne Feinstein has long been a champion of environmental causes, but now she may find herself pitted against one major faction of the movement as she launches a fight to designate a large portion of Southern California's desert as a national monument.

California's first lady, Maria Shriver, has lived most of her life in the spotlight, thanks to her high-profile career in television journalism and her familial and marital ties to politics, but now she says "she has no intention of running for public office in 2010," according to an AP report in the Centre Daily News. Mrs. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Democrat (and a Kennedy), has been busy with many projects aimed at bettering the lives of Californians, like her recent WEConnect endeavor, and says "she is too much of a free spirit to be tied to a desk job."

When the state isn't going to pay your county, what happens when the county says they aren't going to pay the state?

Barack Obama bested the Presidential campaign by reaching across all places and people. It seems only fitting that his inauguration week bears a similarly dynamic platform: from the earliest cinematic pioneers to the latest digital technologies, from campy cult comedies to maverick macho westerns, from classic actors to Jean Claude Van Damme, from sea to shining sea. This is why I love L.A. Nay, this is why I love America!

The sales tax hike proposed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday raised more than just some eyebrows around the Southland, as the plan includes taxing things that were previously un-taxed, including amusement park admission tickets. The tax on entry to places like Disneyland would begin on March 1, 2009 if the proposal is to go through, and the folks at the mighty Mouse are mad:

“We oppose the Governor’s proposed theme park tax because it unfairly targets the tourism industry and may deter new visitors to the Golden State at a time we need them most,” said resort spokeswoman Lisa Haines in an e-mail statement. “This tax is not worth the risk to an industry that is a proven job creator and economic engine for California’s growth.”

A new ad revealed today shows Senators Barack Obama (D) and Dianne Feinstein (D) together with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) asking people to vote "No" on Proposition 8, which seeks to eliminate same-sex marriage.

Filmmaker Chris Bell set out to make a film about heroes and found himself in the center of the steroid debate. His documentary Bigger, Stronger, Faster* explores the world of bodybuilders, sports, and how performance enhancing drug use is viewed in the United States. The story of his childhood and his brothers' weight-lifting careers are the centerpiece of the film. LAist asked Chris Bell about his heroes, documentary film-making, and what Governor Schwarzenegger has to say about Bigger, Stronger, Faster*.

The Flat Stanley project was started in 1995 by Dale Hubert, a Canadian schoolteacher. The project is based on the title character in Flat Stanley, a 1964 children's book. In the book, Stanley Lambchop is squished flat, which gives him unique abilities, like being able to slide under doors and travel in envelopes. The project is intended to increase literacy and educate children about geography.

If you didn't see this video from earlier this week, it's a good laugh.

There are less than two weeks to go until OMG Tuesday!, when almost half of America will likely decide on what Democratic nominee will butt heads with the next Republican nominee.

• With exactly one year to go until a new president is inaugurated (and one more year of Jon Stewart's hilarious Bush headlines), the field of Republican hopefuls just got smaller. After poor showings in, well, every primary, caucus and poll, San Diego Congressman Duncan Hunter is ditching the presidential race. No word on what he will do now, but rumors are flying that Hunter will continue to build that fence along the Mexican border he started months ago.
• And speaking of the election, Gov. Arnold is holding off on endorsing a Republican candidate, preferring to stay "neutral." For now. Some are postulating that Schwarzenegger is waiting to endorse someone in the Republican field to see if his friend and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an Independent, will enter the race.
• It's been a rough Saturday night/Sunday morning in LA County as 11 people have been shot at two separate parties in Long Beach and Compton. The first shooting happened late Saturday at a birthday party in Long Beach, when several gang members apparently crashed the party and started a fight. The second shooting took place early Sunday in Compton, when four or five men turned up to a party and started shooting partygoers, shooting eight and leaving three in critical condition.
• Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is expected to address the Chatsworth/Porter Ranch State of the Community Breakfast next month. It's the first time the mayor will speak to the group about issues affecting the area. Yawn. The interesting thing about this is that in the the Daily News headline, they referred to the mayor by his first name: "Antonio to speak to area chamber." I didn't know the Daily News and the mayor were such good friends.
• The Dodgers will play two March exhibition games against the Padres in Beijing. While some veteran players are privately saying they don't want to go, Matt Kemp sounds downright giddy about the trip. I hope the old versus young rift that ripped through the clubhouse late last season does not carry over into this season. Isn't this why we go Joe Torre?
• Several gay porn sites have posted pictures of under age water polo players from Orange, LA and San Diego counties without them knowing. Authorities think a campus police dispatcher may have played a role in taking the pictures. Gives a whole meaning to block that ball, doesn't it?

When the UC Board of Regents held a meeting this past Thursday, students and staff were on hand to express dismay with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's recently announced proposal for increased fees, enrollment limits, and salary freezes.

While the presidential election is the sexy supermodel on the Feb. 5 California Primary ballot, there are seven propositions on the ballot this year with issues ranging from transportation funds and community college funding to term limits and gaming.

Tonight at the Jazz Bakery is the The Alternative String Group, an ensemble of students from Robert Anderson and Jacob Szekely's music school in West Hollywood, The String Project | Los Angeles. Both studio musicians who have worked with the likes of the Dakah Hip-Hop Orchestra and SuperNova, the two have put together a conservatory that is pretty high tech with their interactive music lessons, recording and filming them for student's personal analysis... Finally, the viola gets some respect. The concert will feature solo and small group performances of music by legends such as The Grateful Dead, Jay-Z, Thelonious Monk, Carlos Santana, U2, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, and more. Video above: Allie Performs Sunrise by Nora Jones withe the String Project Los Angeles Alternative String Group at the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles, November 2007.

Phew! Today, be thankful this is not you. Apparently, Arnold Schwarzenegger said this at one point: "I love Thanksgiving turkey... it's the only time in Los Angeles that you see natural breasts." Parking in Beverly Hills is now a little better, just in time for Holiday shopping. Four parking structures will double their free parking from one to two hours. Residents, merchants and New York City retailers are rejoicing. 167 people in Riverside County...

You'd think that two years after the slow-as-molasses response that President Bush was justly criticized for in the wake of Katrina, that he would have learned from his mistakes and treated the most recent California fires the way a leader should: quickly, decisively, and compassionately. Instead, he flew out to Cali on the fourth day of the fires (progress from the five days that it took him to set foot in the Gulf Coast...

Los Angeles is cleaning up after a wet weekend that drenched the southland and knocked out power to thousands. Want asthma? LAUSD is building seven new schools near freeways, despite scientific studies saying such construction could damage the children's lungs. Huell Howser is here. That's amazing! The city's neighborhood councils could be in for some major changes. Maybe now, you'll actually understand what they are. A Los Angeles man suspected of shooting his pregnant girlfriend...

The TelePromTer-readers and out-of-touch-hate-mongers of the mainstream media thought that they were being super-cool by discussing/bitching about the presidential candidate debates that were posted on YouTube. So since that new, interesting, and youth-vote promoting aspect of the next election has been talked to death by the talking-heads, I have found these candidate related webpages to occupy me during my early in the ante meridian down-time: At SuperBook.com, you can go to their "Exotic Lines"...

About the above photo by Jonathan Alcorn: "Sept 15 2007 Los Angeles, CA - A firefighter was injured in a fire that broke out tonight in a single-story commercial building in East Los Angeles and produced a plume of smoke visible throughout the Los Angeles basin, a fire official said. The fire was reported at 6:17 p.m. at 2840 E. Olympic Blvd. and extinguished after an hour and 45 minutes." Don't forget to enter...

The MTA will be testing a new 65-foot-long prototype bus - which can hold up to 131 sitting and standing passengers - on the Orange Line busway for one year starting this week. Nicely done: L.A. City Councilman Richard Alarcon drafted a measure 2 months ago that would've drastically reduced traffic congestion on one block of one street in Panorama City - namely the one where his house is located. Who's down with Gov....

See the 1995 60 Minutes segment about the horrendous Red Line subway construction. Apparently, in democracy you cannot run against your boss' political allies without getting fired. That's what happened when city councilman Ed Reyes fired his office manager after she lost the 2005 election to Jose Huizar. She sued. She won. All the Wilshire Blvd. bus lane info you could want. The Zaca wildfire has been going for a month and now Governor...